During the Last Supper, Jesus promised his disciples that the hour was at hand when he would "speak plainly" to them about God the Father (John 16:25). The disciples were undoubtedly surprised by this promise. After all, Jesus had spent long hours with them, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and how to pray to the Father. He had told them many parables that illustrated the Father's love. In light of this constant focus on God, why then would the Lord promise his disciples that he would soon "speak plainly" to them about the Father? How could Jesus speak any more plainly about the Father than he had throughout his whole ministry to the twelve apostles?
The answer to these questions can only be found in the cross of Jesus Christ. The hour for "plain speech" about the Father was the hour of Christ's suffering and death. By his passion, death and resurrection, Jesus accomplished the Father's will on earth and, because of this, returned to glory at his Father's right hand. Moreover, in his return to God, Jesus opened up "the new and living way" to the Father for all humanity. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ and is joined to him through baptism is nailed to the cross with Christ and "lifted up" to the Father with him.
The disciples experienced this power of Christ's cross for them. They saw the incredible love of Jesus Christ that covered them, even in their sin. They realized that in Jesus Christ the face of the Father was being revealed to them. Through the death and resurrection of Christ the veil of ignorance over the disciples' hearts was pierced and they discovered that the "plain speech" about the Father was an unimaginable gift; nothing less than entry into the inner life of God! With all boldness, St. Peter proclaims that through Christ we may become "sharers of the divine nature" (2 Pet 1:4). In Christ, we can experience the relationships of love between the three Persons of the Trinity, especially the Father's love for His only-begotten Son. This gift surpasses infinitely all the knowledge about the Father that Jesus communicated through teaching and parables. No one can receive this "plain speech" about the Father and His love unless he turns in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is "the way, the truth and the life". As he proclaimed openly to his disciples at the Last Supper, "No one comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6).
This new revelation of God the Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is given to people through a process involving repentance and the experience of reconciliation with God. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus constantly emphasized the need for people to repent and be reconciled to God. This call for repentance and reconciliation was taken up in turn by the apostles when they began to preach the gospel on Pentecost. With zeal and eloquence St. Paul explains the whole purpose of the apostles' ministry:
God through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We urge you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God! For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
It is only in the light of Jesus' return to the Father; "the new and living way" by which we receive a share in the divine nature; that we can appreciate the incredible grace of being reconciled to God the Father through Christ. From the perspective of our sharing in the Father's life through Christ, all of the teaching and parables of Jesus can now be read in the same grace of this "plain speech" about the Father.
This year, Pope John Paul II has invited the whole Church to renewal by focusing on our pilgrimage to the Father in Christ. This journey to the Father begins and is constantly renewed with the grace of reconciliation that is given as we repent of our sins. As the Church focuses her gaze on the Father in this "the Year of the Father", it is therefore necessary to emphasize the need for reconciliation with God. This is why the Pope has also called the faithful to a renewed appreciation of the Sacrament of Confession during this year. In this essay we will consider the need for reconciliation with the Father by reflecting on the famous parable of the Prodigal Son. Through our meditation on this parable we will see that the Church's teaching on the Sacrament of Confession is strikingly illuminated by Jesus' teaching on reconciliation.
The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is a powerful and penetrating description of reconciliation with God. Jesus tells a common tale; a son decides to leave home and forsake his family relationships, but first asks his father to give him his inheritance. He then abandons his home and father and goes off to a distant land where he squanders the money. In his deprivation he begins to think about what he has done and decides to return to his father. The prodigal son knows that he has forfeited his rights as a son in his father's household, but hopes that his father will receive him as a servant, a hired hand. But when the son returns the father lavishes love upon him, restoring his dignity as a son. In this unexpected and unmerited restoration of the prodigal's dignity as a son we see the true nature of God's reconciling love for us. God reconciles us not just by moving us to turn from sin. He also restores our lost dignity; the dignity of being His sons and daughters. The fruit of being reconciled to God is that, like the Prodigal, we can talk to our Father and love Him. In "plain speech", we are restored to the "house" of God and therefore can share in the very life of God the Father.
In this parable Jesus highlights three stages in the process of reconciliation. Before we consider them it is important to note that the love and joy of the Father is what makes possible the whole process of our reconciliation with God. Of course we could not be reconciled to God without our free cooperation, but this reconciliation is primarily a work of God in us. Moreover, reconciliation is not primarily an experience of God's punishment, but of entering into the joy of the Lord. God takes the initiative in reconciling us to Himself and He does this so that we may come to share in His joy. Throughout Luke 15, Jesus continually emphasizes this divine joy that surrounds the whole process of our reconciliation with the Father. The conclusion that Jesus draws at the end of the short parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15:3-10) is the same: "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents". The father's welcome of his prodigal son is a vivid depiction of this divine joy that overflows when we are reconciled with God. We cannot appreciate the grace at the heart of the Sacrament of Confession unless we seek the love and joy of God that moves and perfects all repentance and reconciliation.
The Prodigal's Sorrow Over His Sin: After emphasizing the depth of God's joy that works in all reconciliation, Jesus highlights three stages in the process of the prodigal son's reconciliation with his father. The first stage is the son's experience of interior sorrow that comes from recognizing the sin he has committed. This experience of remorse includes the resolution to confess his sin. Jesus describes this moment of grace in the prodigal son's heart:
Coming to his senses, he said to himself, "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.' " (Luke 15:17-19)
These words describe the true nature of repentance; the first stage in the process of our reconciliation with God. Sin ruptures our relationship with God. We cannot be reconciled to God without honest repentance; that is, real sorrow over our sin, which necessarily involves a decision to confess our sin.
The Prodigal's Confession to his Father: The second stage in the prodigal son's reconciliation with his father is the moment of actual confession to his father. Obviously, there could be no reconciliation without this personal encounter and confession to his father. But at first glance, it seems that the son's confession is merely telling his father what he had already resolved to say when he experienced interior sorrow over his sin. Actually, however, the moment of the prodigal son's confession involves far more than the confession of his sins to his father. What shines most in the son's confession to his father is the depth of the father's love for him; the power of reconciling love that covers over his sin and restores his lost sonship! Jesus highlights this in several ways. As the prodigal was returning to his father, the father saw him while he "was yet at a distance" and "had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20). Before the son began his confession, he was already welcomed with love by his father! Then, as the son was confessing his sins, his father was so overjoyed at his return that the son did not have the opportunity to conclude "treat me as one of your hired servants". Rather, the father called the servants to cloth the son with a robe and sandals and to put a ring on his finger; the prodigal's lost dignity as a son in his father's house was restored!
Thus, what is revealed in the prodigal son's confession is not primarily his sin but the merciful love of his father. This fact also brings to light an essential aspect of the relationship between the first two stages in the process of reconciliation. In the first stage of interior sorrow and repentance, a sinner experiences primarily the justice of God. From his honest assessment of his sin, the prodigal concluded that he had forfeited his position and rights as a son. His sorrow was so honest and deep that he was ready to accept the just penalty for his sins; going back to his father, but no longer being treated as a son. In the second stage of reconciliation; the open confession to his father; what the prodigal son experienced was the mercy of God. Thus, the process of reconciliation leads a sinner beyond the strict requirements of divine justice to an overwhelming reception of God's merciful love. Mercy is the grace at the heart of the whole process of reconciliation. This grace is as unexpected as it is unmerited. But the path that leads the sinner into the sphere of God's mercy necessarily passes through the fire of justice. The experience of God's mercy in the confession of sin is conditioned by the sinner's honesty in confronting his or her sin; and such honesty always includes an awareness of what one deserves because of one's sins. In the precise words of the prodigal son, "I no longer deserve to be called your son". The prodigal was ready to receive his father's mercy for two reasons; first, he was acutely aware of what he justly deserved; and second, his sorrow had turned him "face to face" toward his father. Likewise, when we humbly face God in the confession of our sins, we can be confident that God will give us what we do not deserve; His merciful love. And this mercy of God bestowed in the moment of confession always restores sinners to their lost dignity as sons or daughters of God.
The Prodigal's Need to "Make Satisfaction" for his Sin: After experiencing sincere interior sorrow over his sin and then going to confess his sin to his father, the prodigal son was mercifully restored to a loving relationship with his father. At this point in the parable, it might seem that the process of reconciliation for the prodigal son was complete. However, something further needed to be done. We know that in the last third of the parable, Jesus describes how the elder brother reacted to his father because of the feast that was being celebrated in honor of his wayward brother.
At first sight, the reason Jesus focuses our attention on the father and the elder brother seems clear; to show us that the elder brother also had need of reconciliation because of the resentment and bitterness in his heart. But there is a deeper reason why Jesus introduces this final element to the parable. The prodigal son's sin affected not only his relationship with his father, but also his relationship with his elder brother. Jesus describes the reaction of the elder brother to teach us that in order for the prodigal's reconciliation to be complete, he would have to dedicate himself to the task of repairing the damage done by his sins; especially repairing his relationships with others in his father's household. Thus, in addition to the experience of interior sorrow and the moment of actual confession, a third stage in the process of reconciliation is needed. The sinner must make satisfaction for the sins he or she has committed. The Catechism gives a fine explanation of this last stage in the process of reconciliation.
"Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must make satisfaction for' or expiate' his sins. This satisfaction is also called penance.' " (1459)
In light of this third stage in the process of reconciliation, we can see that Jesus has purposely left incomplete the conclusion of the parable of the prodigal son. Intuitively, we sense that the parable does not come to a neat conclusion; the spiritual condition of the elder brother demands that something further be done. Clearly, this "open-ended" conclusion of the parable implies that the younger "prodigal" son must work to repair his relationship with his elder brother. How can this be done? The answer to this question is shown in the merciful love of the father, who reaches out to his eldest son with the same intensity of love as he showed to the younger son. In effect, the conclusion of the parable has the father leaving an example for the younger son to imitate. In order to complete the reconciliation that has brought him back to his father's house, the younger son must imitate the reconciling love of his father towards his elder brother. The prodigal son's reconciliation will be perfected to the extent that he becomes a "peacemaker" or a "reconciler" in his father's house.
The surprising conclusion of the parable of the prodigal son is a powerful statement about the true nature of reconciliation with God the Father. We must not limit the meaning of reconciliation with the Father to the simple confession and forgiveness of sins. To be reconciled with the Father ultimately means that we ourselves must become living agents of God's reconciliation. We must reflect, share and spread the reconciling love we have received from God. Jesus says "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect", and "the gift you have received give as a gift" (Matt 5:48, Matt 10:8). God reconciles us to Himself by pouring His own love into our hearts. His love ought to become a fountain of love within us, which moves us to do good works that truly manifest the Father's merciful and reconciling love.
The purpose of the "penance" that is given within the sacrament of Confession is precisely to foster this imitation of the Father's love. Through the confession and forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of Confession we are clothed again with the love of the Father. Our dignity as sons and daughters of God is restored. When we leave the sacrament of Confession it would be a mockery of the grace we have received to shut ourselves off from others. Confession occurs in private, but the reconciliation we receive cries to become active in all our relationships with others. As we "abide" in the Father's love through daily prayer and life in the Church, we should expect that the power of God's love will give us new opportunities to reflect His love to others. The sacramental "penance" is merely the first moment in this task of living as a "reconciler", or peacemaker, in imitation of the Father's merciful love.
The prodigal son came to a new knowledge of his father through the gift of reconciliation with him. In a similar way, the distinctive Christian knowledge of God the Father is the fruit of Jesus' redemptive sacrifice on the cross, which reconciled the world to God. Jesus' promise to his disciples at the Last Supper that he would soon "speak plainly" to them about the Father clearly states the power of Christ's reconciling work. Through the work of the cross, mankind can once again draw near to the hidden and inaccessible God, who is revealed in Christ as a merciful Father.
This "drawing near" to the Father takes place within the very depths of the human being. The prodigal son's new relationship with his father obviously took place within the depths of his heart. Similarly, reconciliation with God the Father is an act that takes place in the human heart. It is only within our heart that we come to know and love the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. On the eve of his redemptive sacrifice, Jesus specifically promised his disciples that he and the Father would come to dwell in their hearts. "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23).
The human heart is made for God. Before the Fall of Adam and Eve, man's heart was open to God, and God dwelt within it. God's presence in the heart enabled the man and woman to live in harmony with one another and with God. The man and woman would have experienced interior peace through the submission and measuring of their desires, thoughts and actions by the divine presence in their hearts. This condition of harmony with God was ruptured by original sin, and every personal sin that we commit aggravates the rupture in our relationship with God. Sin has weakened the human will and darkened the human intellect with ignorance of God. Moreover, these debilities not only alienated human beings from the life of God; they also prevent us from experiencing and knowing the deepest part of our being; the heart, which is made for God and can only be filled by God.
The whole ministry of Jesus Christ was an act of reconciling love in which Christ accomplished two things. He bridged the gap between man and God so that in him mankind might again know and love God in the new revelation of His Fatherhood. Secondly, Jesus Christ himself reopened the way into the depths of man's heart. As Pope John Paul II taught in his first encyclical, "Christ, the Redeemer of the world, is the one who penetrated in a unique and unrepeatable way into the mystery of man and entered his heart.' " Christ's revelation of the Father and His reconciling love pierces the depths of the human heart and therefore gives human beings a power to live a new life for God. As we experience, know and treasure the Father's presence in our hearts, our desires, thoughts and actions can be "measured by", and submitted to, the all-Holy Father. Therefore, the confession and forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of Reconciliation should never be a mere ceremony, but should revive and intensify the believer's whole relationship to God the Father. How clearly the conclusion of the parable of the Prodigal Son indicates the call and challenge for the reconciled sinner to imitate the Father's love and thereby become himself a "sacrament" of reconciling love towards others. The grace of reconciliation is simultaneously the very heart of Jesus' revelation of the Father and the heart of the whole Christian vocation to love as Christ loved us.
Therefore, as the Church renews her pilgrimage to the Father in this "the year of the Father", she must especially preach and seek the grace of true reconciliation. We must have the courage to face our sin; our ignorance of God, our capitulation to sensuality and materialism, and our readiness to abandon the narrow ways of God's commandments when faced with moral dilemmas. We must have the courage to face our lack of prayer and our lack of resistance to a culture that promotes death through abortion, euthanasia and disregard for the family. We must have the courage to turn off our TVS and electronic toys and spend more time talking to members of our family. In the program of renewal that he sketched out for the Church in this "year of the Father", Pope John Paul II ties all these things together:
The way to a deeper relationship with God the Father passes through a renewed practice of the sacrament of Confession. Through confession we can discover anew the twofold presence of the Father; in the depths of our hearts and in our good works that manifest His love to a needy world. The Father reconciles us to Himself in Christ so that we might become "ambassadors" of this reconciliation (see 2 Cor 5:19-21). Only through courage in facing our sin and fervent prayer to God to open the depths of our hearts to His love can we heed Jesus' call to be a light that reveals God the Father to the world. "Let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matt 5:16).